It was somewhat of an ugly night for the Houston Rockets on Saturday, losing to the Denver Nuggets at home, 112-109. A game that went down to the wire saw the Rockets shoot 44% from the field and 39% from three, while they allowed the Nuggets to post 53-38-78 shooting splits as the tandem of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 60 points, 12 rebounds and 19 assists.

While the fourth quarter was a slugfest that saw Houston claw back into it with the game coming down to the final shot (an Alperen Sengun half-court heave), the loss could have been easily avoided if the Rockets hadn’t started ice cold with a 12-point first quarter.

Sengun and Kevin Durant struggled, combining for just 27 points on 11-of-29 shooting. Against a fellow title contender, it’s easy for fans to panic after a home loss like this, but there was still a lot to like from the game.

For one thing, Houston managed to get hot again and get back into the game after such a putrid opening period. Through the following three quarters, the Rockets outscored the Nuggets 97-87.

While Sengun and Durant weren’t great, a major bright spot was Houston’s production from its supplementary players. Reed Sheppard, in particular, was uber-confident, putting up 20 points in the first half and finishing the game with 27, four assists and two steals on 9-for-13 shooting. He brought life into the Rocket during the second quarter, which propelled consistency in the second half.

Jabari Smith Jr. was also impressive with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. His corner three with seconds left cut the Nuggets’ lead to one. The 6-foot-11 wing stepped up as a wing scorer and rebounder in place of Durant.

However, the best performer in the fourth quarter was Amen Thompson, who recorded 11 of his 22 points in the final 12 minutes. He took over late, scoring at will for the Rockets within the arc. The 22-year-old got way more aggressive in the second half, especially seeing struggles from the Rockets’ star duo.

Houston will face a hot Phoenix Suns squad on Monday, with two days to prepare. There isn’t a reason to panic right now, given that this is only the team’s second loss in 12 games. After starting the season 0-2, the Rockets still own the NBA’s top offensive rating (122.5) with the ninth-best defensive rating (112.1).